1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus capable of being connected to an information processing apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus interfaced to an image processing apparatus capable of executing a general-purpose facsimile communication application software.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A facsimile apparatus is a means for electrically transmitting document information to a remote place by utilizing a telephone line, and reads an original by a digital scanner utilizing a CCD, for example, and converts an original information signal into a compressed code and transmits the code to an addressing facsimile apparatus. However, in recent years, a facsimile board by which a document produced by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, a word processor, etc., can be transmitted from a facsimile apparatus to an addressing facsimile apparatus has been developed. The interfaces between the information processing apparatus, the facsimile board and the facsimile apparatus have come to be standardized (EIA specification classes 1, 2 and so on). In accordance with such standardization, a general-purpose facsimile communication application software (hereinafter, simply called as "a general-purpose communication software" applicable to such a standard interface has been supplied.
In the general-purpose communication software, a transmission function by which a document produced by an information processing apparatus is transmitted to another facsimile apparatus via a facsimile apparatus being connected to the information processing apparatus by the standard interface, and a reception function by which a document being sent from another facsimile apparatus is written in a memory of the information processing apparatus are supported. That is, in the general-purpose communication software, a print function by which a document produced by the information processing apparatus is directly printed-out by the facsimile apparatus is not supported.
In addition, in a prior art device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-open No. 62-249560 laid-open on Oct. 30, 1987 or Japanese Patent Application Laying-open No. 61-292467 laid-open on Dec. 23, 1986, in a local operation mode or a remote print mode, a file held by an information processing apparatus can be printed-out by a printer of a facsimile apparatus.
However, in the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-open Nos. 62-249560 and 61-292467, if a specific control command is not applied to a facsimile apparatus from an information processing apparatus, the facsimile apparatus can not print-out the document from the information processing apparatus. Therefore, in order to implement such a print function, a specific software is further required, and accordingly, the aforementioned general-purpose communication software can not be utilized as it is.